Can't Love You
by rhysmeyersfan
Summary: [Chances Are] Miranda and Alex have a conversation about why he can't love her like she loves him. A oneshot fic, taking place the night after he kicks her out of his bed.


**Chapter 1**

Miranda Jeffries stumbled out of the convertible, falling onto the street corner. Everyone in the car laughs as she picks herself up, the half empty bottle of Scotch still in her hand.She leans on the car, looking up at her house. " This is where I live. Know that Cris? This is my house." she slurs, taking a long drink.

Cris pokes her head out of the side, " Do you need some help, Ran? I can walk you to the door. I would ask your date," she motions to Jake who is passed out in the front seat, " But something tells me he'd be little help." she snorts.

Miranda starts laughing, so much in fact that she almost falls over again. Hunched over, she looks up at Cris. " Don't make me laugh- please. I think I'm going to throw up. Yeah, I'm definately going to throw up."

Cris looks at her worriedly, " You're sure you don't need any help getting inside?"

Miranda shakes her head, getting off of the car and starting up the pathway." I'm fine, really. I just need to sleep it off. Thanks for taking me out. I needed a night out. Despite the company." she refers to Jake.

" Right. I'm sure he won't remember any of it anyway. Call me tomorrow?" Cris says.

She nods, " Yeah, I will. Have fun." The car drives away, leaving Miranda standing in the middle of the steps to her house. She looks up, feeling dizzy. Placing her hand on her forehead, she steadies herself on the railing. She quietly opens the door, closing it behind her.

She starts up the stairs to her bedroom, almost falling. She catches herself, continuing. Finally reaching the top, she starts down the hallway when a door opens from behind her.

She stops abruptly, startled, causing her to fall to the ground. She puts a hand on her forehead, letting out a small moan. Alex stood above her in a bathrobe. "I should have known it was you. You're bad luck."

Alex kneels down, placing a hand on her shoulder. " Here, let me help you. You alright?"

She pushes herself up with her elbows, using the support from his arms. " All things considering. Wait, wait- just give me a second." She puts a hand on her forehead again, sitting up.

" You're drunk." Alex says simply, looking dissapointed. She looks at him, shocked that he was judging her.

She snorts, " No shit, Alex. How'd you guess?"

" I really wish you wouldn't talk like that." Alex says.

He closes his eyes, not believing what he was saying. He had to be more careful with his words. He kept forgetting that from her point of view, he was some guy that she was attracted to living in her house. But to him, she was his daughter and he was instinctivelyworried about her. He couldn't help himself.

She looks at him strangely, holding onto the banister railing to get to her feet. He tries to help her, but she swats his hand away. " Talk like what? Why- why is it that ever since you've moved in you've been treating me like I'm some kind ofa child? Like I'm your daughter? What's with that anyway?"

" I'm- look Miranda, I'm sorry that I was worried about you, ok? Your mother's at the opera with Philip and she told me not to wait up for you. It got to be around one, and I started to worry. You crash into the house falling down drunk. I was worried, excuse me. I thought that's what you wanted?" rambles Alex.

" I wanted what?" Miranda asks, with a confused look on her face.

Alex leans closer to her, trying to prevent her from falling again, since she could barely stand by herself. " You know, to worry about you. I meant to apologize for last night. I know you were just-"

" Don't. Can we not rehash last night, please? It wasn't one of my most glorious moments. Me jumping into bed with you. You telling me it was way past my bedtime. Equally bizarre, by the way seeing as though I'm twenty years old and all." Miranda says, bitterly.

He bites his lip, not knowing what to say to her. There was no way to explain his behavior without telling her who he was. He hadn't even explained it all to Corinne yet. Hell, she didn't even believe him when he told her in her office yesterday.Why would Miranda believe that he was Louie? She'd think he was crazy.

Miranda balances herself against the wall, walking down the hallway.

" Whoa- what are you doing?" Alex asks, stepping alongside her.

Miranda shrugs him off, " I'm going to my room. What are _you _doing?" she snorts.

" Miranda, come on. Can I-" Alex catches her as she begins to fall sideways. He wraps his arm around her waist, balancing her body weight with his.

" Stop it! I can do it myself!" she shouts angirly, pushing him off of her. He hits the other side of the wall in the hallway, falling himself."Omigod, Alex- Alex I'm sosorry. Ididn't mean to do that. I guessI'm stronger than I thought.Are you ok?" She leans down to his level, holding both sides of his face.

Alex nods, putting his hands on the sides of her arms. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's ok." She looks into his eyes, wanting to kiss him so badly. He pushes a piece of her hair out of her face, studying her eyes and features. He couldn't believe how much time he'd lost with his little girl. He notices a freshcut that her medium length bangs had been hiding.

He smooths over it with his thumb, "That from tonight?" She nods, lightly leaning her cheek on his arm. "I fell out of the car." she laughs, "I'm not a very good drunk. I just needed a night to do something un-normal for me, you know? I guess because of what happend last night with us. I don't know."

He looks to the side of her, avoiding her eyes awkwardly, feeling her hand move down his arm. "I should take a look at that- the cut. Does your mother keep a first aid kit around?" he says, hoarsley.

" I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt." she says, giving hima weak smile. "Come on, let me help you up since I'm the reason your down here." She pulls him up, almost falling backwards. He catches her quickly, steadying her.

He chuckles, helping her down the hallway as they reach the bedroom at the end of the hall. "There you go."

" Thanks," Miranda says, sitting on theedge of the bed."The first aid kit's right through there in my bathroom. There's probably some band-aids left."

Alex nods, "Alrighty." He walks into the bathroom, starting to rummage through everything. This was the only room in the house that he didn't know by heart.

" I'm going to have such a headache in the morning. I remember when I got drunk after I graduated. Prom night. It was awful." Miranda's voice echoed from the bedroom.

A smile spread across Alex's face, " I'll bet."

" At least I got a better date out of it though. The guy that a friend of mine set me up with tonight was all wrong for me. Nothing in common. It was unbearable. All he talked about were his shoes, and something about the fundementals of the NFL." she rants, laying back on the pillow. "I always says this time is the last time Cris will set me up on a date, but I always give in."

Alex reappears, and sits beside her on the bed as he starts looking through the box. Miranda looks up at him, realizing what she'd said. "That was a stupid thing to say. Talking about going out with another guy in front of you. I'm sorry."

" No. God, don't be. It's fine." Alex says, pushing her bangs away his his hand as he begins rubbing the cut with an alcohol swab.

" Ouch, that stings." she complains, making a face.

Alex wipes it once more over, and then gets out a band-aid. "Sorry. There, good as new."

" Thanks." replies Miranda, looking up at Alex. "What did you mean before? When you said don't be sorry?"

Alex looks at her confused, "I didn't mean anything. It's just- you know.." He looks down.

" Alex, if there's someone else, I'd rather you just be honest with me. At least that's the vibe I've been getting from you since you walked into my house for the first time. It's like you're scared of me or something." Miranda says, almost choking on her words.

Alex felt like telling her the truth right then and there. But he knew he couldn't, and it was taking all of the strength he had to stay silent, and look into her hurt eyes. "I'm not scared of you, Miranda. You're great. I just- I think we'd be better as friends. I'm just not really ready for a relationship right now."he lied, looking down at the bed comforter.

Miranda sighs, feeling tears starting towell in her eyes. "God, Alex. I- I don't think I can be friends with you. I'm in- love with you." she barely gets out.

Alex squints his eyes shut, "You can't be in love with me, Miranda. You can't."

" Why not? What do you mean I can't?" Miranda asks, sternly. "Look at me, Alex."

Alex looks up at her, "I mean you can't. You can't love me. Not like that." Alex looks into her eyes, as she looks down at her knees. "I can't explain it to you right now, alright? You can fight me on everything else, but you're going to have to trust me on this one thing. I _can't_ love you like that. It's not possible, Miranda."

A stray tear falls down her cheek, and onto the bed spread. She promised herself she wouldn't cry, but it couldn't be helped. Alex's words cut her like a knife through the heart. " If it's not possible, like you say, then why were you so worried about me tonight? Why did youeven care where I was or what I was doing?"

" Because I care about you, Miranda. I care about you so much, sweetheart. I've only known you for three days, and I don't thinkI've ever cared about another person more than I care about you," Alex explains, cupping her face in his hands. "But I'm not in love with you. I don't see you that way. Can you understand that?"

Miranda lets the side of her cheek drop as it lies in the palm of his hand, "No, I don't understand. ButIcan try."

He lets out a sigh, "I can live with that. Oh, Miranda. You're going to meet so many men. Better men than me, that's for sure. You deserve someone great. Someone who can take care of you, and most importantly love you the way that you love him. And when you find him, you're going to be together for the rest of your lives. Because you're in it for the _forever_. And I can't be that for you. My _forever_ lies with someone else." Alex explains.

" So there is someone else?" she asks, curiously.

" I don't know yet. We'll see, I guess." Alex responds, referring to Corinne. "Listen, we don't have to finish this tonight. You really need to get some sleep. It's been a long, confusing night for the both of us."

She looks up at Alex, gently embracing him in a hug. " I know you'll change your mind. I can feel it. I felt it from the first day I saw you in the library. I knew then, and I know now. You'll see."

She unhooks herself from him, lying back in the bed on the pillow. Alex stares down at her, running his hand over her hair. He leans down, gently kissing her on the head. "Goonight, Miranda."

He walks to the doorway, flipping the light switch downas he leaves the room.Closing the door behind him, he climbs into his own bed, staring at the ceiling. He knew then that he had to make Corinne believe him. No matter what he had to do to make it happen. She had to believe that he was really Louie, her dead husband.

He would make Miranda believe it to, and they would all be a family again. Whatever it took..

**_The End._**


End file.
